Love Island's Olandria Details Lesson of Embracing Her "Natural Body"

Love Island's Nic Reveals "Fortress" Boundaries Protecting Olandria Romance

Olandria Carthen knows the power that comes with being a bombshell.

That's why the Love Island USA star has learned how "incredibly important" it is that she use her influence in the spotlight to help other women celebrate their bodies.

"Women are often faced with unrealistic expectations about how they should look, and that pressure can make it difficult to feel comfortable in their own skin," she told Rolling Stone Africa in an interview published June 19. "Publicly embracing my natural body is a way of showing that confidence doesn’t come from fitting a certain standard, it comes from accepting and valuing yourself as you are."

It's a lesson Olandria, 28, hopes resonates with viewers and her fans around the world.

"If sharing that message helps even one person feel more comfortable, worthy or beautiful without changing themselves, then that’s something I’m proud to stand for," she continued. "I want people to know that authenticity is powerful, and that their natural selves are enough."

In fact, the model—who has been dating costar Nic Vansteenberghe since meeting on season seven last summer—clarified that, even for her, that feeling of self-assurance didn't come easily at first.

"People often see confidence as something you’re either born with or not, but my journey has been a lot more layered than that," she explained. "Behind the scenes, confidence has come from learning to accept myself at every stage of life not just when things are going well, but also when I’m facing uncertainty, rejection or self-doubt."

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While the so-called "Bama Barbie" often questioned if she was "enough," Olandria said that she built up her confidence by "doing things that scared me anyway." And that includes going on reality TV and becoming famous.

"Honestly, it was realizing that fear wasn’t serving me anymore," she shared. "I had been approached about reality TV twice before, but I wasn’t ready."

Although "stepping into the public eye felt like a huge risk," Olandria explained, "I started asking myself what would happen if I stopped saying ‘maybe later’ and just trusted the process. When the opportunity came back around, I decided to take the leap."

Read on for a check in on more islanders who found love in the villa.